10 Hard Truths I Learned on My Way to a 6-Figure POD Business
When I started my Print-on-Demand journey in July 2022, I was running on three hours of sleep, cold coffee, and pure delusion. Picture this: me, rocking a newborn with one arm, designing listings with the other, and Googling “how to make passive income with Print on Demand” and “How to Make Designs on Canva” at 2 a.m. like my life depended on it (because, honestly, financially, it kinda did).
And let me tell you—I failed HARD. FOR. MONTHS. I launched products that didn’t sell, listings that were so bad they made probably made Etsy cry a little, and spent way too many hours wondering if I was just wasting my time. There were moments (a lot of moments) I was ready to toss my laptop out the window, throw in the towel, and go back just bury myself into “Mom” life and just hope and pray I could make ends meet.
But then... something crazy happened… my first bestseller hit.
And everything, and I mean everything changed. 💥
That little taste of success lit a fire under me—and I went from exhausted and doubting to obsessed and determined. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of wins, flops, learning curves, and more than a few happy dances in my kitchen.
So now, three years (and a TON of listings and mistakes) later, I want to share the real lessons that made the biggest difference. Because spoiler alert: running a Print on Demand and Etsy Business is not just about cute designs and clever quotes.
But, before we get into it, let me introduce myself!
So buckle up, because we're about to do a dive deep into the best Etsy research tools on the market right now: Sales Samurai and EverBee!
Before we dive in and get into the nitty-gritty of this post let me introduce myself!
Hi there! I’m Shay Lynn
If you had told me that a few years ago when I was pregnant that I would be running my own multi 6 figure print on demand business, I would have outright laughed in your face! And then would have asked, “What the heck is Print on Demand?”
I’m a proud Mom, Etsy shop owner, Print on Demand business owner, and POD educator. I help women (and Mom’s like myself) start their own Print on Demand businesses and gain financial freedom so they can ditch their 9 to 5 grinds! Check out my course and blog to learn more!
Now that were acquainted, let’s get started! First, let’s look at Sales Samurai…
So What The Heck Is Sales Samurai?
Sales Samurai is an incredibly powerful and user-friendly research tool made just for Etsy sellers! Its main goal you is to help you crack the code of Etsy's algorithm by breaking down market trends and EXACT keywords, so you can make smart decisions about your designs and products. Sales Samurai will literally cut your research time from hours to just minutes! It's a total game-changer that saves you tons of time, letting you focus on creating more products, driving more traffic to your shop, and ultimately, boosting your sales!
Don’t Have Sales Samurai Yet? I got you! Get access to the software here. Enter “Shay20” at checkout for 20% off for life!
What Is So Special About Sales Samurai??
1) It’s a Keyword Ninja:
Yes, it's called Sales Samurai, but to me, it’s my Keyword Ninja! With one simple search, you can instantly uncover the EXACT keywords and tags customers are searching for specific products. It provides the most relevant high-traffic keywords while analyzing search volume, competition, and Google trends. In just SECONDS, you'll know if a product is worth your time to create or if there are too many people competing in the same category!
2) Take a Friendly Peek at the Competition:
Have you ever wondered what makes your competitor’s best selling listings and products do well? Have you ever wondered what SEO keywords make a best selling product tick? Well, Sales Samurai breaks down ANY Etsy listing to give you a huge strategic edge by understanding what your competitors are doing well and what can be improved. Sales Samurai lets you dive deep into your competitors’ listings, revealing their keywords, pricing strategies, and sales performance. You’ll see which keywords are driving best-sellers and which ones are total flops, helping you choose the cream of the crop for your own listings!
3) Calculate Profits and ROI with Ease:
Sales Samurai features a super nifty Calculator tool that shows you exactly how much it costs to make a sale and what your profit will be for each product sold! Cool right?!?! This tool handles all the calculations for listing fees, Etsy fees, transaction fees, and shipping costs, eliminating any guesswork. It does all the work for you, helping you determine the price of your products down to the penny within seconds rather than wasting your time doing it all by hand!
4) Extremely User Friendly:
Not only is this product extremely user-friendly, it comes with simplified and concise tutorials on how to use every feature so you can be a pro on day one! When I was first starting out, I had no idea what I was doing or how to navigate this software program. After watching the tutorials, I was an absolute pro and could easily navigate the entire site within 2 days!
5) Affordability:
I saved the best for last- This is the most affordable research tool around! It is only 9.99$ a month for UNLIMITED SEARCHES and access to every single one of their features. That’s only .33 cents a day, which is a total steal in the POD and Etsy research tool world!
It gets even better! Right now Sales Samurai is allowing people to start a FREE 3-day trial by clicking the link here. Once you're hooked and addicted to this program (because I know you will be) you can save even more money by using the code “Shay20” at checkout to snag 20% off every month of your subscription! Don’t walk, run to get this program!
Now it’s time to switch gears and start talking about my other favorite Etsy research tool: Everbee
So What In The World Is Everbee??
Everbee is a Chrome extension that provides REAL TIME LIVE data analytics for EVERY LISTING ON ETSY. Yep, you heard me right. This extension goes behind the scenes on every single listing and will tell you every bit of information and data available for every listing including best sellers. From, tags, duration of listing, and conversion rates, to how many sales the product makes daily and monthly, this research tool does it all! It can tell you what the most popular items are in every niche and tell you exactly what keywords are making products fly off the shelf! Awesome right?!?!
Don’t Have Everbee Yet? I got you! Get access to the software here.
OK, BUT LIKE WHAT ELSE DOES EVERBEE DO?
1) Real-Time Insights with the EverBee Chrome Extension:
Once you install the Everbee Chrome Extension, you can uncover everything there is to know about any listing on Etsy. With just one click, you can instantly see your competitors' titles, tags, keywords, pricing strategies, performance, conversion rates, duration, monthly revenue, and total sales. It’s the ultimate research tool, offering real-time insights directly on Etsy’s platform. It’s an absolute game changer for understanding what works for each product or niche and how you can make your listings even more successful than a current best seller.
2) Connect and Compare Your Shop:
Connect your shop to EverBee and get a clear view of how your listings stack up on Etsy’s platform! Analyze every keyword customers have used to find your shop or specific listings. With these insights, you can fine-tune your keywords to figure out the best SEO titles, tags, and descriptions to optimize your listings for maximum visibility and appeal.
3) Product Analytics SUPERPOWER tool:
Ever wondered which product is ranking in the highest monthly revenue or leading in sales on any Etsy search page? Ever wanted to know how many sales the top-selling designs/products are making in a specific search page niche? Well, with just a few clicks, EverBee reveals how every best-seller is performing instantaneously in REAL TIME. Deep dive straight into detailed analytics for every top-selling product and get valuable insights on incorporating winning keywords and design trends into your own listings. The product analytics tool that Everbee has is the ultimate way to stay ahead of the game, make your products stand out amongst the competition, and find out what makes a successful product in every niche!
4) Everbee Email-
The best way to drive sales and traffic to your products is by having one thing and one thing only: an email list. An email list is the #1 tool to attract customers to your platform and drive repeat business. By connecting your Etsy shop to Everbee Email, you'll gain immediate access to all your past customers' email addresses. This enables you to notify them about new product drops, special coupons, and event sales like Black Friday. Everbee puts email blasts on autopilot, making it easy for you to increase your revenue with just a few simple emails!
5) Affordability-
In my opinion, Everbee is the Chef’s kiss of research tools. Don’t get me wrong, I love Sales Samurai, but if I had to pick between the 2, I would have to go with Everbee. It is still very affordable, however, it is slightly pricier than Sales Samurai. Everbee’s Growth Plan gives you unlimited access to everything that Everbee has to provide and runs at 30$ dollars a month. If you buy their annual plan, it is only 19.99$ a month!! So about one dollar a day! However, Everbee is running a special right now where you can get started with your first searches for free so you can get a real feel for how the program works! Click the link here to sign up for your hobby plan so you can get started with your first searches completely free!
Conclusion
Phew! Well, I think that covers all the points I wanted to hit about Sales Samurai and Everbee. Like I said before, visibility is the lifeblood of your print-on-demand and Etsy business. The only way to obtain visibility is by strategically using optimized keywords and conducting customer search research. In order to do this, you will need to invest in a proper research tool to make sure you have some skin in the game. I have tried them all and these 2 by far are the best bang for your buck! It doesn’t matter which software you choose, as long as you’re using something to boost your POD business to success 😉
I hope this post helps you on your Print on Demand journey! If you are new to print on demand, curious about selling products online, want to make your first best-seller, and want to learn how to start your Etsy business the right way in 2024, then check out my course The Print On Demand Playbook. I have over 30 videos and 8 hours of Print on Demand video tutorials and information on how to start your very own shop, Keywords/ Etsy SEO, product selection, research validation, design tutorials, content calendars, customer service templates, and so much more! 👇👇👇👇
And remember, always conduct market research and Trademark searches to ensure you are not infringing on anyone’s intellectual property before posting your listings 😊
Take care for now my fellow designers! Talk to you soon!
-Shay Lynn ❤️
**this post may contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
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